Emmanuel Taylor Plans to Outbox Matthysse on Canelo-Chavez Jr.

After being out of the ring since October of 2015, former 140-pound champion Lucas “The Maquina (The Machine)” Matthysse (37-4, 34 KOs) will have his hands full come May 6th against the always tough Emmanuel Taylor (20-4, 14 KOs). “Tranzformer”, a name given to Taylor from his early years in the gym based on his ability to transform his quiet outside the ring demeanor into a force to be reckon with inside the ropes, hopes to pick up his third victory in a row and plans to spoil Matthysse’s plans of making a comeback. “I had it in my mind [Matthysse] might need an opponent and so manager called me one day and said would I take the fight yep of course I’ll take the fight”, Taylor told FirstClassBoxing.com in a recent interview.

Being a part of the biggest Pay-Per-View card, headlined by Canelo Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Taylor is excited about fighting in front of a sold out T-Mobile Arena in both his first fight in Las Vegas and his fight being show on a PPV card. “It’s a really big blessing for me, you know I’ve always wanted to fight the biggest and it’s a real big stage, you know I’m fighting on Canelo’s card”.

Taylor-Matthysse will be the second bout of the PPV card that is supported by a battle of undefeated featherweights Joseph Diaz Jr. (23-0, 13 KOs) and Manuel Avila (22-0, 8 KOs) in the PPV opener and middleweight power puncher David Lemieux (37-3, 33 KOs) taking on Marcos Reyes (35-4, 26 KOs) in the co-main event. Golden Boy Promotions also announced that they have teamed up with Fathom Events and plan to show the PPV event live in select movie theaters across the country.

The Maryland native is keeping his training camp at home and plans on mixing things up very little. In addition to bringing in sparring partners, Taylor and his trainer – former boxer Dave Sewell – plan to put on a clinic against the Argentine knockout arrest. Taylor, 26, has been with Sewell since he was 12 years old fighting as an amateur. Taylor turned pro at 18 because he was too young for the Beijing Olympics and did not want to wait another four years for a shot at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Since turning professional in 2009, Taylor has remained active in the East Coast and currently fights under Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing based out New York. Three of Taylor’s four losses have come from the hands of former titleholders Adrien Broner and Chris Algieri and still undefeated Antonio Orozco. Taylor also had a memorable KO over Victory Cayo in an ESPN Friday Night Fights headliner more than four years ago. Taylor said he gained a strong fan following in his loss to Broner but that Algieri was the trickiest fighter he’s faced.

In Matthysse’s last fight, he was stopped by once-beaten Viktor Postol and which resulted in a fractured left orbital bone. That same injury led Matthysse’s long layoff and cancellation of a scheduled bout last Cinco de Mayo on the Canelo-Khan undercard. “The main thing I’m expecting is [Matthysse’s] power, that’s about it”. FirstClassBoxing.com asked Taylor if he had any specific game-plan going into the fight with Matthysse, “If the knockout comes it comes but I just plan to box his head off the whole ten rounds, I’ll be in shape to do so [.] After that fight, the sky’s the limit for me”.

Trazformer will be looking to take full advantage of this opportunity he’s been waiting most of his career for, to be showcased on a major PPV event in Las Vegas. Taylor also expects the fans to come out and support him who remember his gutsy performance against the popular Broner. “Come May 6 the fans can expect fireworks, coming from me though”.